I suggest the following procedure:- Select contour(s) (any number of entities that form a closed path, e.g. a circle, rectangle or any other shape)- Choose tool 'Clear contour(s)'- All entities completely within the contour are removed- All entities partly within the contour are trimmed

This would only work for lines (and possibly arcs, circles, ellipses). Complex entities would have to be exploded first.

Husky: Yes, I think that use case would be covered too:- Draw one closed contour to define the area around the entities you want to keep (e.g. a circle).- Draw another, larger contour around the area which should be cleared (e.g. a rectangle).- Select both contours.- Launch the clear tool.- The clear tool will use an even/odd algorithm. I.e. the rectangle gets cleared but the circle inside it is seen as an island which does not get cleared.